What it's about: José Miguel Battle, a police officer and Bay of Pigs veteran, fled Castro's Cuba in the 1960s to build a criminal empire, becoming a "Godfather" to Cuban exile communities and leaving a bloody trail in his wake.

Is it for you? True crime fans will enjoy this fast-paced saga.

Media buzz: Academy Award-winning actor Benicio del Toro is set to play Battle in an upcoming film adaptation.

What it is: an exhilarating account of the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon and the three astronauts who risked their lives to complete the mission, portrayed with dramatic storytelling flourish.

Want a taste? "Looking back down toward his spacecraft, Borman gave thanks to the scalded machine, an exquisite piece of design and daring."

Did you know? December 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission.

What it's about: In this evocative and evenhanded legal history, Adam Winkler chronicles the relationship between corporations and the government, from the emergence of businesses in colonial America to the U.S. Supreme Court's controversial Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling.

About the author: Winkler is a constitutional law professor and legal commentator.

What it's about: The Manhattan Project, completed in 1946, produced the first atomic bomb. Power struggles and ethics debates marred the relationships of the major players involved, and none could imagine the extent of the bomb's devastation.

Why you should read it: Stark and straightforward black and white illustrations unflinchingly convey the harrowing implications of the Manhattan Project.

For fans of: Jim Ottaviani's Fallout, the first graphic novel on the subject.

What it's about: Congressman John Lewis's early life and origins in the civil rights movement, during which he served as one of the first Freedom Riders and helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Art imitates life: Lewis relied on a popular comic book of the time,Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story, to inform his efforts in the Nashville Student Movement.

Book buzz: The third book in this powerful three-volume memoir series won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature.